For Better or Worse Redux
by cate78
Summary: So there are probably tens of thousands of post-finale fics, but seriously WTF! This is my contribution, with a special appearance by a certain Intelligence Asset.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer 1: Not mine. If it was, the season would NOT have ended like THAT.

Disclaimer 2: I actually didn't mind the whole "ex-boyfriend is the husband" storyline despite it being somewhat implausible. (Though I did find Rogan O'Leary to be completely irritating and annoying. If I was Beckett/Castle I would've smacked him upside the head when he was tied up in that barn. Better yet, one from each on both sides.) But that ending? Yeah, sorry no that doesn't work for me. My humbled opinion? Episode should've been an hour and a half with the last third devoted to a happy wedding. But let's work with what we've got, shall we?

(In advance, please excuse any spelling errors or bad grammar. Language was never my best subject in school.)

* * *

**For Better or Worse: Redux**

Kate leapt out of the car practically before it came to a full stop; her sole focus was the fire ball she can see even from down the road. Her heart pounding with adrenaline and dread as she neared, praying that it was not Rick's car engulfed in the infernal; that the local PD had somehow made a mistake when they called. But her hopes were dashed and a single tear rolled down her cheek as she saw the familiar Mercedes in a crumpled heap.

Despite the turmoil and devastation that was threatening to overwhelm her entire existence, Beckett's detective instincts soon kicked in and she started observing "the crime scene." The car had scratches along the entire driver's side, meaning that it was not a single car accident. It was possible to be a collision of some sort but if that was the case, where was the other car? Another vehicle would not have been left unscathed and continued on after an accident that left Rick's car in such a state down a ditch. Could it be that Castle was deliberately run off the road?

And finally with a small measure of relief, Beckett realized that there is nobody in the car, which meant that there's a possibility he's still alive. But where was he? Given the state the car was in, he would've sustained injuries and couldn't have gotten far on his own and if he was targeted, would whomever it was that ran him off the road have finished the job?

Dread started to rise in Kate again as she looked around for any sort of clue. All she saw was open fields on one side and thick forest of trees on the other. Just then two more cars pulled up and out stepped Martha, Alexis, Lanie, her father and the boys, all looking horrifyingly at the burning car.

"Oh my god! NO! Dad?" Alexis screamed.

"Alexis, your father's not in there." Beckett reassured the teen as best she could give her own panic at the whole situation. Turning to Esposito and Ryan, Kate tried to be as matter of fact as she could "Guys, I think Castle was targeted. But there's no body so that's good. I don't see any blood or even signs of struggle either. He would've gotten hurt from the crash so I don't think he couldn't have gotten very far on his own."

"You think who ever did this wanted him alive and taken him somewhere?"

"I don't know, but that would certainly explain why he's not here and there's no other car. Ryan, coordinate with the local PD to set up roadblocks right away. Maybe we'll get lucky and they haven't gotten far."

"You got it."

"In the meantime, we should canvas the area. See if we can find something useful." Esposito chimed in, more than a little amazed that his friend can even function at all given what's happened.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Beckett took a deep breath and tried not to imagine the worst case scenario. Being with Castle for so long has undoubtedly rubbed off on her in terms of her vivid imagination. But now is not the time to let that rule her.

"Have faith Beckett, your man's got more lives than a cat. He'll find a way to get back to you. The guy's practically a magician; maybe he's already managed to escape somehow."

While the detectives were outlining their game plan, the other members of their group had wandered off into the nearby woods and field hoping against hope that Castle was somehow there.

"RICK!"

"DAD!"

"CASTLE!"

"RICHARD!"

Five minutes passed and everybody had just about given up any hope of a miracle that Castle was somehow there when a rustling sound directed their attention towards the trees again. Not quite believing their eyes the group stared, stunned as Castle limped out with an arm supported by none other than his father.

Castle looked like an extra from a horror movie. The other arm not being supported by the other man was hanging limply by his side. Probably separated shoulder or broken bones or both. Blood has dried and caked on his face from where it had flowed from a gash on his forehead that was likely to leave another scar. And the shuffle walk that he was doing meant an ankle injury of some sort. But all Kate saw was that he was alive.

Running towards him as fast as her heels and wedding dress would allow, Kate wrapped her arms around Castle if for no other reason than to assure herself that he was real and not a figment of her desperate imagination. Rick slowly moved his good arm away from his father and wrapped it around Kate loosely, returning her embrace.

"Oh my god, Castle! What happened?"

Falling down onto the ground to rest from the exertion that was simply walking, Castle said one word that sent a chill down Kate's spine, "Bracken."

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Okay, Castle's version of events and his father's role coming up next.

And rest assure there will be a wedding one way or another. I'm no AWM. :p


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I realize it's probably not that easy for a car to catch on fire, but I figure if Hollywood can take liberties with it in their numerous movies and TV shows then I can do it for a fanfic too. :)

And thank you all very much for the reviews and follows. :)

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Disconnecting his phone, Castle couldn't help but have a goofy grin on his face. _Giddy_, there was no other word but 'giddy' to describe how he was feeling. He's 20 minutes away from his Hampton house and, knock-on-wood, within an hour after that he would be married to the extraordinary Kate Beckett. After the craziness of the past 3 days, he absolutely cannot wait. Checking his own reflection in the rear view mirror, his nervous energy made him fix an imaginary stray hair. Doing a double take Castle noticed a black SUV speeding up behind him. _Buddy, I thought I was in a hurry_, he thought. Increasing his pressure on the accelerator hoping to avoid his pet peeve of tailgaters, Castle found his warning bell going off as the SUV kept on his tail. Suddenly the other car pulled up along side him and without warning side-swipe his Mercedes. With the speed that he was going, inevitably he lost control and careened down the embankment on the side of the road.

With speed and gravity against him, not to mention a large boulder as an abrupt stopping mechanism, all the fancy safety measures of a high-end vehicle didn't do him a lot of good as Castle felt pain course through his body. He knew it was no accident and whatever the reason was that the person or persons in the SUV took him off the road, Castle also knew they will be coming after him. Rather than sitting there stunned into inaction, his instincts told him he needed to get out of the car and get to safety. He moved to release his seatbelt but found that it was stuck. Before he can think of anything to use to cut himself loose, his door was pulled open from the outside.

Castle found himself staring at two men with cold eyes, the one in front pointed a gun at him.

"Who are you?" Castle demanded with more force in his voice than perhaps would be expected for someone in his precarious position. The man remained silent; simply released the safety of his gun, clearly getting ready to finish the job.

"Mr. Bracken gives his congratulations on your wedding."

Two shots rang out and Castle closed his eyes, involuntarily flinching backwards bracing for the pain. But it never came, Castle wondered if he was still alive or if perhaps once you take a bullet in the head you simply don't feel anything instantly. The aches over the rest of his body hold him the latter was not the case. Slowly opening his eyes he found the two men dead on the ground, each with a bullet between the eyes. Looking around Castle tried to find the source of his salvation. Out of his peripheral vision he saw a familiar man with silver hair walking down the slope towards him.

"What are you… How did you…?"

Ignoring his son's sputtering questions, the older man took out a small hunting knife and cut away the seatbelt holding Castle in place. "Come on, we need to get you out of the car. The gas tank is leaking, it might catch fire. Can you walk?"

"Uhh… yeah I think so." Castle gingerly pulled himself out of the car, his father supporting him in case he was mistaken in his assessment. "I think the ankle's twisted but nothing's broken. Can't say the same about my arm though."

Once he was out, Castle looked at the tracks his car had made coming down the slope following the path all the way back to the top of the embankment when he saw two more men standing at the side of the road. Before Castle can yell out a warning, thinking the two were also Bracken's men, his father nodded towards the bodies by Castle's car and ordered "You two, take care of them."

"Yes sir." The two younger men said before proceeding to jog down to retrieve the bodies and clean up any evidence.

Castle looked at his father questioningly; it was uncharacteristic for what he knew of him. The other man shrugged, "Sometimes even a Lone Wolf knows the benefit of having a pack."

Before long, the 'pack' had loaded the two would-be-assassins into the back of the SUV they came in. One of them then jumped into the driver's seat and drove off. Soon the other one was back into his own black SUV and took off after his counterpart.

"But aren't we going with…?"

"No, they need to disappear as soon as they're done. I'm assuming you want to get back to your fiancée?"

Nodding his agreement, Castle couldn't keep his wise-ass in check, "Seriously though, what's with covert gunmen and black SUVs? That's so cliché. If you really want to be non-descript next time you should try a simple silver 4-door sedan."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So what are we going to do now? Do you have more people coming?"

"I said a pack Richard, not a party. We're on our own. Where's your phone? You should call your fiancée and they can send someone for you."

"It's in my…" before Castle can finish his sentence, as if to mock him, his Mercedes burst into flames. "… car. Talk about cliché." He muttered as an afterthought.

"Dammit and in my rush to get here I had forgotten my phone."

"I remember seeing a house a few miles back, we can walk there and get help. And just how did you know to…"

Cutting Castle off again, the older man grunted "You're in no condition to walk that far unassisted and I can't support you and keep an eye out on everything at the same time. It's too open, we'll be too vulnerable. The bastard Bracken might send more men if he doesn't get confirmation from Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum they've finished their mission. Your injuries aren't critical, we can wait until dark for more cover before we go for help. Come on, let's get into the woods so we can stay hidden and I can have a better vantage point if more people do come."

The two men walked about 100 yards in before the older man declared it was a good point to stop. "This will keep us hidden and I will be able to see anyone coming before they can spot us."

"So, how did you know to come?" Castle asked again.

Without anything else immediate that can be done but wait, the older man began his tale. "I heard about senator Bracken in the news and Detective Beckett's connection to the whole thing. You may find it hard to believe but there's long been rumblings within certain circles in DC and even overseas that Bracken is not all he appears to be but of course it was nothing more than rumours and speculations. Although I don't think anybody had any idea just how deep the conspiracy went. I certainly didn't know of any connection to Beckett's mother. Let me tell you, that's a hell of a job you two did finally finding the final piece of the puzzle to nail that SOB.

Anyway, you may have had him arrested but given how connected Bracken is and the resources he has I knew he could still be a threat, especially to the people who brought him down so I decided to keep an eye on him just in case. Obviously lucky for you that I did, but I didn't think he would be able to move this fast. I didn't get the intel about this until a few hours ago and that's when I rushed here and well here we are, having a nice father-son chat in the middle of the woods."

"He's never going to stop is he?" Castle commented with panic rising in him. "We'll never be safe. Not Kate, or me. Mother and Alexis? Kate's dad?"

"Richard, it goes without saying that I'm not going to win any father-of-the-year awards. But when it comes to people that I care about, including you, your mother, and my granddaughter, I can assure you I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe."

Castle looked at his father; the hard expression on the older man's face told him that was the end of the discussion. He was back to his Lone Wolf mode, keeping secrets and keeping distance. They fell into silence, waiting. After some time, what sounded like people shouting can be heard from the direction of the road. Instantly alert, Castle's father raised his gun and instructed, "Stay low!"

"No wait, hang on. Listen." Castle grabbed his father's arm before he could move. "I think that's Alexis."

Together they listened for more shouts and were rewarded with the unmistakable tones of Martha and Alexis. Nodding at each other in silent agreement, Castle was helped up by his father. Slowly, they moved back towards the road. Towards the sound of his family.

As the two men came into the clearing, Castle saw Kate running towards him dressed in her wedding gown. There is an old superstition about bad luck to have the groom see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony, but well too late for that, Castle thought ruefully. He could feel the desperation in Kate's embrace and lightly put his good arm around her to give her whatever small reassurance that he can.

"Oh my god, Castle! What happened?"

Too exhausted by the whole ordeal , Castle simply said one word. "Bracken."

"Not here." Came the gruff voice of Castle's father as he looked around.

"We need help here!" Kate shouted over to the local police, fire and ambulance that have gathered at the scene.

As the rescuers came running, Kate was forced to let go of Rick as the EMTs did their assessment of his injuries. A local uniform came up to Castle's father, "Sir? Can I ask you what happened?"

"Hit and run." He lied with an ease that only came with years of practice. "Silver 4-door sedan." He looked pointedly at his son. "I didn't get the plate or make of the car. I was out for a walk, only saw it from the distance. I came and got Mr. Castle here out of his car and we were trying to find help when we heard voices and came back."

"Thank you, that's very helpful Mr…"

"Hunt."

"Thank you Mr Hunt. We'll put a broadcast out for a 4-door silver sedan with significant damage. With that kind of wreck I'm sure we'll be able to find it easily enough."

"You do that."

By the time the uni was done, the EMTs were ready to load Castle into the ambulance. "I'm coming with him." Beckett spoke forcefully. With one look at the determined bride, the EMTs knew better than to argue. Kate looked back at Castle's father quickly, wondering if the man will simply disappear again before she can ask him any questions.

"I'll be around." He answered her unspoken question. With a nod, Kate boarded the ambulance and soon it was speeding away with its lights flashing.

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One more chapter to wrap it up, I did promise a wedding after all (and I deliver what I promise, unlike certain show runners who shall remain nameless.) Plus I need to take care of Bracken, or rather Castle's father will.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Okay so apparently I made the _worst_ mistake possible (pun intended) on the main title of this little fic. Thanks to the reviewer who pointed that out. Funny I didn't make the same error at the top of the first chapter. Can I just blame it on my stunned incredulity over the last few minutes of the finale?

Apparently when I changed the title, the url changed as well? I hope all the lovely folks who followed this story after the first chapter didn't have issues with the link for the second chapter.

* * *

Castle groaned loudly as he struggled to surface from deep sleep. He tried to open his eyes but it felt like trying to pull open the iron curtain. Giving up, he relaxed back into his pillow. _Maybe it's the jetlag_, he though. Castle tried to think back to the events of the prior day. He remembered his drive up to the Hamptons, being positively giddy about the prospect of finally marrying Kate. But for some reason everything else after that was a bit of a blur. Maybe that's what people meant by wedding daze?

Soon he was greeted by a gentle hand on his face and the sound of his newly-minted wife, "Hey Castle." Even without opening his eyes, Castle can hear the smile on Kate's face. But was that a hint of relief he also heard? Why would she sound relieved? What did she need relief from? They were on their honeymoon without a care in the world.

Castle then became aware of the dull ache all over his body, he light-heartedly said, "You really had your way with me on our wedding night Mrs. Castle, I don't think I can move."

"Castle, babe, we're not married. We didn't have our wedding night." Like a bucket of ice-cold water to the face, Castle was instantly awake.

"WAIT, WHAT?" Eyes suddenly wide open, Castle tried to sit up on the bed only to be greeted with more pain shooting through his body. "Ow!"

Finally taking a proper look at his surroundings, Castle saw the tell-tale signs of a hospital room. The white walls, white curtains, white plastic chair Kate was sitting in beside his bed, white everything, a small TV mounted from the ceiling at the corner turned on to what looked like a 24-hours news channel but muted; everything with a distinctive anti-septic smell. "This isn't the Maldives."

"No it's not Rick. We never made it."

Before Kate can say anything more, the day nurse came into the room. "Oh good morning Mr. Castle," said the middle-aged woman with a kind looking face. "Good to see you're awake. My name's Betty and I'll be your nurse for today. It's time for a top up of your pain meds. It won't take long and I'll be done in a jiffy."

"Castle, do you remember what happened?"

Closing his eyes to concentrate, willing the haze in his brain to lift. What happened yesterday that caused him not to have a wife, not be in the Maldives with said wife but in a hospital feeling like he got run over by a truck?

Panic filled his eyes as he remembered. Forgetting about the 3rd party in the room Castle urgently said, "Kate, Bracken…" The nurse looked up at the mention of the name that she's been hearing all over the News the past few weeks. Beckett put her hand gently on Castle's chest as a silent caution.

"It's okay babe. Mr. Hunt," Kate said deliberately, mindful of their audience, "told me everything. About the hit and run and how he rescued you." Nodding, Castle settled back down into his bed.

"All done Mr. Castle. The doctor is scheduled to do his rounds later this afternoon, if everything is okay at that point you should be able to go home by the end of the day. If you need anything just press the little button here by the side of the bed." With that Betty exited the room as quickly as she came, leaving Beckett and Castle alone once again.

"So you're not Mrs. Castle yet?" Rick said with a definite pout.

"I'm afraid not babe."

"Where's everybody?"

"Most of the guests at the wedding have already gone back to New York on the buses that Alexis had chartered. But your mother, Alexis, my dad, Lanie, and the boys are in the waiting area now. Mayor Weldon and your father are also here."

Castle was slightly taken aback by the last two names. While he certainly considered Bob to be a close friend, the Mayor was far from being a part of their most inner circle. And his father? Well frankly Castle had expected him to have disappeared to lay low already just like he said his 'pack' would.

At his confusion Kate explained, "I asked your father to stay. He saved your life Castle. Not to mention Alexis' last year. I wanted him here for this."

"Here for what?" Castle asked still confused.

"It's why I asked Mayor Weldon to stay as well." Kate explained, a dazzling smile breaking across her face. "As mayor, Bob has the authority to officiate a wedding. I want to get married to you now Castle. I don't want to wait anymore. We've waited long enough don't you think?"

"Kate you know I'll marry you any time, any where in a heart beat but you deserve to have the wedding of your dreams, not with me layup in a hospital bed, doped up on painkillers."

"Rick, what makes a wedding a dream or a fairytale is to have the people that you care about most there to share it with you. Everything else: the venue, the cake, the flowers, the dress? Those are just frills."

Seeing the sincerity and happiness in her eyes, Castle nodded. "You're right. We have everything and everyone we need in here and in the waiting room. Let's do it."

Pushing the button to move the head of the bed up so that Castle was in a sitting position, Kate gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll go get everybody. Don't disappear on me again."

"I'll try." Castle replied cheekily.

Soon Kate returned with their family and friends close behind. Martha and Alexis gave him such tight hugs that Castle was silently grateful Betty had given him the extra dose of painkillers earlier. The boys were next, giving him a couple of fist-bumps. Then a quick hug from Lanie and "Writer-boy if you scare my girl like that again, I'll hurt you. But I'm glad you're okay." A couple of handshakes with Jim and Bob followed; finally a curt nod from his father.

"Okay, let's get this party started shall we?" Mayor Weldon said, then looked quickly at Lanie and Alexis. "Ladies, you have the rings with you?"

At their nod of affirmation, the mayor began "Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Katherine Houghton Beckett and Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle in marriage. To say that Rick and Kate have gone through trial by fire is an understatement; they've gone through fire, water, ice, several bombs, a tiger, and countless bullets. Through it all they've always had each other's back and came out of every ordeal stronger for it. If a partnership can survive all these things as well as crazy ex-wives, conspiracy theories and Ninjas, then I feel confident in saying it can survive anything. May we have the rings please?"

At the prompt, Lanie handed Castle's ring to Kate and Alexis gave Kate's ring to Rick. "Do you Katherine, take Richard to be your partner in life, sharing your path, to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?"

Kate looked into Rick's eyes, slowly slipping the ring onto his finger and with as much conviction as she can put into two simple words, "I do."

"And do you Richard, take Katherine to be your partner in life, sharing your path, to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Kate's engagement ring was soon joined by its wedding counterpart on her finger.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Lifting up his good arm, Castle gently cup Kate's face to bring her close. What started as a chaste kiss soon grew heated causing Esposito to say in mock disgust, "Get a room you two." This in turn earned him a much deserved smack on the arm and glare from a crying Lanie.

Kate and Rick just kept staring into each other's eyes with matching smiles that would've made the Cheshire Cat jealous, lost in their own little world. They were burst out of their bubble when Alexis commented, "Hey what's going on there?"

Everybody turned to look at the young redhead then followed her gaze to the muted TV at the corner. They saw a small picture of Bracken on one corner of the screen, imposed on what looked to be a live feed of a mansion with police and ambulance everywhere.

"For heaven's sake, where's the remote to turn that thing off?" Martha said looking around, "We don't need to see that awful man's face on your wedding day."

Before anybody can find the control, Castle's father walked towards the television and reached up. But rather than turning it off he increased the volume, cryptically saying "I have a feeling you might want to watch for just a few minutes."

… _disgraced former New York senator William Bracken who has been under house arrest following his indictment earlier this month was found dead this morning. There has been no official announcement as to the cause of death however unnamed sources are saying it looks to be a suicide…_

Castle glanced over at his father who gave him a warning look before clearing his throat, declaring "Well I think it is time for me to go. Richard I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer; Katherine, congratulations." With a slight tip of his head towards Martha, the older man headed for the door.

"Wait… umm Dad," Castle said, the parental title sounding foreign from his own lips. "I assume you know where Kate and I were going for our honeymoon?" At his father's curt nod he continued, "Well I'm in no condition to be going anywhere and the place is fully paid for and stocked with supplies. It's completely isolated other than a handful of locals looking after housekeeping. So if you need umm…" Castle left the rest of the sentence unsaid but fully understood. With one more nod, the CIA Intelligence Asset left without another word.

"It's over, Kate. It's really finally over."

"No Rick, this is only the beginning."

"Mrs. Castle, I stand corrected."

* FINI *

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A/N: So the ending of Veritas was supposed to have wrapped everything in that storyline up in a nice little package but for me it didn't feel like the end. Given Bracken's resources and contacts, a little audio tape would not translate into an open-and-shut-beyond-a-reasonable-doubt case. I always though he could still be a threat, so this is me killing two birds (one of them literally) with one stone.

Sorry if the wedding was too short for your liking, but I'm horrible at stuff like that so I just made it quick. (My excuse is since the Mayor was called into duty on short notice, he didn't have time to prepare. :p )

Thank you for reading. I hope this helped to mend your shattered hearts at least a little bit.

Kindly please provide reviews, comments, suggestions as you make your way to the exit. :)


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